1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to an improved grip for golf clubs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applicant has previously developed resilient grips which successfully reduce impact shock to the muscle and arm joints of the user's of golf clubs and also provide a feeling of tackiness between a player's hands and the grip. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,813 granted to Applicant on Aug. 25, 1998 and U.S. patent Application no. 10/392480 filed by Applicant on Mar. 18, 2003.
The earliest of these grips utilize a polyurethane-felt strip which is spirally wrapped around an underlisting sleeve that is slipped onto and adhered to a golf club handle. The sides of the strips are formed with overlapping heat depressed recessed reinforcement edges. While such grips have proven satisfactory in reducing impact shock, their fabrication is labor intensive, particularly since the strip must be wrapped manually about the underlisting sleeve within specific pressure parameters. Additionally, it is difficult to accurately align the adjoining side edges of the strip as such strip is being spirally wrapped about the underlisting sleeve. These wrapped grips can become twisted during the wrapping process, allow for only limited display of decorative designs and allow for only a limited placement of colors.
Applicant's Ser. No. 10/392,480 application seeks to overcome two of the aforementioned disadvantages of existing spirally wrapped grips while providing the same resistance to shock afforded by such grips, as well as providing tackiness. The disadvantages are eliminated by forming a structurally integral grip from a single polyurethane-felt panel having a configuration corresponding to the exterior shape of an underlisting sleeve. While this design removes the twisting problems associated with the wrapping process and offers more area to display decorative designs, it is limited in its ability to accommodate multiple color schemes which are so popular in today's modern world of golf.